ABOUT FACEBOOK’S TRUMP BAN

Much of America has moved on, but more than 100 days after he left the Oval Office, the specter of Donald Trump hasn’t gone away. That was plain with two new developments Wednesday. In the first, Facebook’s Oversight Board announced it supported Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to ban Trump from using Facebook and Instagram after the then-president incited his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s election.

The Oversight Board’s announcement was coupled with an admonition to the social media giant that indefinite suspensions such as the one Trump faces aren’t actually allowed by Facebook’s own policies. In turn, Facebook agreed with the board’s request that it “review this matter to determine and justify a proportionate response that is consistent with the rules that are applied to other users of its platform.”

The news pleased few. Those who hold Trump in contempt lamented the likelihood he would one day return to Facebook. Those who think social media networks have a partisan liberal agenda lamented the fact Trump’s suspension was upheld. Moreover, the decision did nothing to allay the concerns of those from across the political spectrum about private companies having such sway over the world’s most popular and powerful communication tools . ...

Yes, even presidents should be suspended if they encourage violence that leads directly to a deadly riot. And yes, the standards under which such decisions are made need to be transparent or else they will only add to the anger that suffuses American politics. Facebook needs clear policies, and a commitment to follow them.